Lilies
by fuzzi fox
Summary: Sequel to "Avenger". The fates told Hercules "You have no idea what disruptions your insolence will cause! You violate not only the laws of the Gods but the laws of the Cosmos itself!" when he had them fix Meg's thread. He had no idea just how severe those consequences would be
1. Chapter 1

This is my sequel to "Avenger". When I wrote "You have no idea what disruptions your insolence will cause! You violate not only the laws of the Gods but the laws of the Cosmos itself!" I left that unaddressed, and even after all this time it bugs the shit out of me I left such a large concept completely unaddressed. So here's the tale of the consequences that resulted from Hercules' unnatural solution to Meg's predicament. I am aware that I wrote an epilogue, but this obviously takes place before the epilogue. Hope you enjoy. And I hope people are actually still willing to read my slop even after all this time.

Also, I realize in ancient Greece the wealthy often had servants and slaves, and that it was a completely social norm. However, I don't feel like dealing with that kind of a plot point, and Hercules is too innocent to ever enslave anyone, social norm or not.

* * *

Meg slunk out of the lavatory, drying her hair with a towel as she moved towards the wardrobe to fetch something to wear for the day. As her wet feet made a soft patting sound as she crossed the room, Herc's sleepy groan was the only other sound to break the winter morning silence. He opened his eyes and saw her blurry form across the room. He rubbed the sleep from his face, his vision coming into focus as he gazed at his wife dressing across the room. 18 months had done naught to diminish her allure, and the brisk temperatures brought a flush to her skin that only made her sexier. Even the now faded pink scars across her chest and stomach failed to fill him with feelings of guilt and dread. Meg heard the stirring of sheets and turned after she finished fastening an olive green dress.

"It's about time you wake up" She felt goose flesh roll up her arms, and she reached for a shawl from the closet. "I'm surprised the cold didn't wake you. I think we need to pull the winter gear from storage. Also, I'm not up for heating up more water. I'd jump in that tub while the water's still hot."

"Since when are you up earlier than me? You're not what I'd call a morning person" He sat up, and as the covers slid away he became aware of the morning chill. "And I think I'll take your offer of that bath while the water is still warm"

"I wasn't feeling well this morning. Must be something I ate"

"Are you feeling okay now?"

"Still queasy… I'm going to go eat something. Maybe something simple will make me feel better." She crossed the room, hearing the door creak as Herc went to take his bath. She slipped on some sandals, wishing she had her fur lined slippers that were locked away from last winter. She moved down the elegant marble stairs to the kitchen, and lit a fire in the hearth to chase away the cold. "Gods damn it got cold fast." She muttered to herself. There was some flatbread left on the table that she had baked the night before, and attempted nibbling on it to chase the nausea in her stomach, but it was already stale. There was some goat milk in the ice box, and she used it to soften the bread and eat her simple breakfast.

By the time Hercules joined her in the kitchen the hearth had a roaring fire that brought the kitchen to a more comfortable temperature. Meg looked up, almost surprised to see him.

"What's for breakfast?"

"I haven't started anything yet. We have some barely flatbread, oranges, pomegranates… a bit of honey. We need to go to the market," she replied, scrunching her nose at their limited options. Hercules settled on a honeyed orange, but when he offered some to Meg the rich smells brought the bread up from her stomach, and she ran to the sink and vomited her meager breakfast. "Yeah… goats milk… pretty high on the list of worst possible things to throw up" Herc couldn't help but laugh, but when she shot him a cold look his smile quickly changed to guilt.

"Hey at least it's not as bad as the time we bought some weird peppers from a traveling merchant."

"Oh dear Gods don't remind me of that night of hell" Those peppers had first lit their mouths on fire, Meg had thrown up setting her nose and throat on fire, and then the resulting gastrointestinal distress seemed to ensure that no part of her would emerge from that ordeal unscathed by liquid fire. "At least your damn demigod blood saved you from most of the after effects." She reached to the rags hanging above the sink to clean the mess she made, ignoring Hercules snickering behind her.

"Aw come on, those peppers were delicious!"

"You ever bring those things home again, I swear…"

"They weren't that bad"

"You weren't the one living in the outhouse for a day and a half!" Milk sprayed across the table as Hercules roared with laughter, pounding his fist.

"Fire in the hole!"

"Not funny!" Her red cheeks only made him laugh harder. She jut her jaw in frustration, and gave him a thwap across the back of the head.

"I think you dried out the well with how much water you were drinking!"

Hercules managed to stifle his laughter, "sorry hun. But you have to admit… it was pretty funny."

"As funny as the time you mistook the vinegar I was cooking with, with wine?"

"Ugh, that was horrible. Not a mistake I'll make twice."

"You did make that mistake twice…" Herc squinted at her suspiciously,

"I don't think I should trust random liquids on the table when you cook anymore"

"Shit! All my horrible plans! Foiled!" Meg then dramatically looked upwards, "Eris, its off, he's on to me" Hercules finished his orange and reached for some of the flatbread, also coating it in honey. "Did you want to go to the market with me today? We're pretty low on food."

"You sure you're up for it? You're sick. Why don't you just go lay in bed and let me go to the market."

"No offense wonderboy, but you aren't exactly good at food shopping. You only buy snacks and treats. It's hard to make a meal out of sweet cakes and olives."

"I buy more than that…" He paused, thinking. "I bought these fruits"

"We need some fish, barley, we have some eggs from the chickens out back , I used the last of the milk. We could even see if they have venison. It sells fast, so we should go down while the hunters still have some stocked."

"Okay I'll be good and buy everything we need this time. Just go lay down and rest. I don't think dealing with the agora is very fun if you're sick." Meg turned around, and suddenly gripped the edge of the counter to maintain her balance as a swoon swept over her. "You alright?" Herc stood up, alarmed.

"I'm fine. Just a little lightheaded is all. Don't call in the calvary." She smirked. She walked up to him and gave him a quick kiss, "Look if it'll make you feel better I'll stay here. But if you come back with just sweets again, I'm going down there myself." Herc laughed and kissed the stubborn woman on the forehead gently,

"Feel better honey." Meg smiled, a blush coming to her cheeks at the endearment. Hercules had only taken to calling her that shortly after they were married, and it was still new to her ears. _Get a grip…_ she thought to herself, embarrassed that she still blushed like a virginal schoolgirl whenever he called her 'honey'

It was later in the morning by the time Hercules had woken Pegasus, and flown down to the agora. The area was bustling with fishermen calling out their wares, a few hunters boasting about the quality of their kill, jewelers displaying various trinkets with elaborate stories of the queens who used to own them, bakers laying hot loaves of flatbread on their counters, a farmer selling chickens and his day's harvest. The crowds and the noise disguised Hercules enough to keep most of the fans' collective attentions on the goods for sale. He slung his hemp sack across his shoulders as he made his way to the hunter's booth to see if they had any venison as Meg had asked.

"What do you have today?" The large man behind the counter spun around, the leather apron he wore covered with blood stains new and old, his calloused hands holding a dull butcher knife as he half hazardly hacked at the rack of ribs he had on the buter's block.

"Wild boar and two suckling pigs."

"What about venison?"

"I ain't got that pansy meat. Hearty boar, that's what a man needs! Strong meat from a strong animal!" Across the way a competing hunter shouted his reply,

"Venison over here pal! Last of the season, you're in luck my friend! Finest meat you'll ever taste!"

"Deer are thin sickly creatures! They run away from a threat! Deer are cowards, don't eat the meat of a coward!"

"Deer are quick! They survive! Unlike the hardheaded boar who runs at the hunter. You don't need any skill to kill a boar! Make some noise and it'll run right into your spear!"

"Then that boar will gouge you with its tusks unless you are a strong hunter! You can only become a strong hunter if you eat strong meat!" Hercules looked back and forth, confused at the arguing. He knew Meg was home waiting for him, so he disregarded their arguments and went to the venison merchant. He looked at the cuts that were still available and settled on two large stakes. "Our great hero has great taste! Only the finest cut of meat for you! I'll even throw in a sack of olives, free of charge! It would be a crime to eat such a fine meat without such fine olives!" The man wrapped up the meat in grape leaves, and handed the small satchel of olives to Herc. "Don't let that oaf of a man fool you into thinking boar meat is better. Nothing is sweeter than venison my friend!" Hercules thanked the man, paid and continued to shop.

He bought a sack of barley, a new jar of honey, some pomegranates, grapes, oranges, cheese, several spices, and a jug of sweet red wine. As he made his way through the bustling agora, more people were pouring in, several of them teenagers.

"Oh my Gods! It's him!" Hercules groaned, not having much time to react and turned as one collided with his chest. He staggered back to try and keep his footing, his arms full of the goods he had purchased. As a second girl slammed into him the wine jug was thrown from his hands, shattering next to a homeless man trying to sleep. The noise woke the man, who quickly snatched what was left of the jug and drank what little wine hadn't poured into the sand.

"Hey! Ow! Watch out… please! Get off!" He pleaded, squirming away trying to fend of what Meg frequently referred to as "the hormone tsunami" The local merchants were very familiar with Hercules, not just as the famous hero, but as a returning customer who always left generous tips. Several came running to his rescue, shoving the girls away and threatening to throw water at them if they didn't stop. "You know you can just approach me… you don't have to tackle me. " Hercules offered meekly to the disappointed girls when he saw how dejected they looked.

Used to the world of fame, Hercules pulled some papyrus from his back, and a carefully wrapped quil and inkpot to offer each of the girls his autograph. Their disappointed looks turned into screams of joy.

"Where's Megara?" one girl asked. Herc's wife was nearly as famous as he was, the announcement of their engagement had led to a lot of vandalism in local schools.

"She stayed home. Not feeling well this morning." The girl frowned, and plucked a flower from the bouquet she had in her hands. "Here, a get well gift." The group of girls left, the one with the flowers shouting prices and bragging about her gardening skills. He was about to ask them why they weren't in school when he realized it was a Saturday.

The remainder of the trip to the agora was uneventful, Hercules making his last stop at the sweets stall. He had only told Meg he wouldn't _only_ buy sweets. Herc made his way back to the fields at the entrance of the agora where he left Pegasus to graze. He let out a shrill whistle and his loyal companion returned. He gave Pegasus an apple before swinging on his back. They decided to ride back rather than fly, due to the temperatures. When he returned to the villa he placed the food in the kitchen, placing the milk into the icebox. "We should get a goat, fresh milk all the time. " He said to himself, remembering the farm he grew up on. "Meg?" He called out, wondering how she was feeling. He couldn't hear a reply so he went up to the bedroom. "Meg?" He called again. He opened the bedroom door and saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, wringing her hands and looking pensive. "Honey?" He couldn't help but notice she didn't blush.

"Hercules… I'm pregnant"

* * *

I also realize "Tsunami" was a term coined by the Japanese, and unless Herc had spent time in Japan and had learned about that word, he wouldn't know it. But it's a story. Enjoy despite my loopholes. It's a story about a demigod. It's already unrealistic =P


	2. Chapter 2

Look at that. I actually posted a chapter on time! Maybe I'll actually manage to have chapter 3 up next Friday morning too!

"P-pregnant?" Hercules stammered,

"Umm sorry… didn't mean to drop it on you like that" Meg responded, furrowing her brow as she realized saying 'I'm pregnant' before even saying 'hello' might have been too blunt.

"Pregnant?" Hercules repeated, looking at her with wide eyes. Before she could open her mouth to respond, Hercules grabbed her off the bed and spun her around, gripping her in a suffocating embrace.

"Oof…" Her eyes widened in surprise, and fruitlessly waggled her hands pinned to her sides, "Wonderboy… can't… breathe…" she rasped,

"S-sorry…" He set her down, his hands holding onto her shoulders. "I'm just excited! How do you know?" Megara didn't feel the excitement that her husband obviously did, but his joy at the news helped settle the anxiety that had been rising in her as she had spent the morning pondering how to tell him. She found herself wringing her hands again, an annoying nervous habit she couldn't rid herself of, and a habit that Hercules always recognized.

"I was planning on seeing the midwife today… It's why I wanted to go to the agora. When you insisted on going yourself I told you I'd stay here… but I left a bit after you did to go see Agatha, the midwife in town. I've suspected for a while… I missed a moon cycle, and I've been sick most mornings."

"Why didn't you tell me, I would have taken you?" Hercules let go of her shoulders, and took her hands in his, lifting them to stop her wringing.

"I wasn't completely sure… I know how much you wanted kids and I was afraid if I got your hopes up, then turned out it was a false alarm…" She ambled, uncharacteristically uncharismatic. She bit her lip in aggravation, "I wanted to be sure before I told you." Hercules could see her distress, and kissed her fully.

"Honey… I want to be there for you. This is something for us to do together." Meg nodded, guilty tears building up in her eyes, _or am I just scared to have a baby?_ "Meg… we should be happy. Why do you look so sad?" Meg let a sob escape her throat, _Guilt… it's definitely guilt_

"I-I'm scared Herc. " She admitted, finally looking up to meet his worried gaze. "I don't know if I'm meant to be a mother. I'm not exactly a role model." Confused, Hercules just pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his face into her hair and breathed deep to take in the floral scent of her hair.

"What do you mean? You're strong, independent, the smartest person I know, loving. What could make you a bad role model?" He tried to laugh, to break the tension.

"But I never had a good mother figure; I don't know how to be one because I never had one." Herc rubbed her back, lost for words. He was never good at comforting her about her past; she spoke about it so little that he understood almost nothing about her when she was young. He recalled the only true conversation he ever had with her about it.

_Meg was happily writing out wedding invitations, a list of names sitting before her. The list was filled with friends, families, and important people from the community that Hercules would have felt it an insult not to invite. Hercules sat with her, thinking of more names to add to the list. _

"_What about your family? You haven't written any to them." He noticed her flinch slightly, and give him a smile, _

"_You don't think this list is long enough? We must have half of Greece on here!" She tried to play it off, dodging his question. "Does Pegasus remember where Helen lives, or should I have Hermes deliver this one?"_

"_Aw come on Meg, its _our_ big day, not just mine! I want to invite your family too!" He reached out to take the quill from this stubborn woman, forcing her to look up from her work_

"_Herc I served Hades. I doubt they want much to do with me." She wanted him to drop the subject, and reached out for the quill but Hercules jerked his arm back. Meg sat up, leaning forward over the table and made another swing for the quill, only succeeding in knocking over the inkpot on the table, spilling it over several filled out invitations. "Oh!" She growled, frustrated. "I just spent an hour writing those… Herc can you get me a rag?"_

"_What do you mean nothing to do with you?" Hercules asked, not letting her request derail him. He grabbed a rag from a basket they kept in the storage boxes near the sink, and started cleaning up the ink which was already sinking into the marble._

"_I ruined the marble… I'm sorry."_

"_Stop dodging the question." Meg looked up, a bit startled at his conviction. He threw the blackened rag into the sink, pulling the inkpot away from her as well. Meg sighed, accepting defeat._

"_Herc… I don't want to invite my family because they all either died, or my memories of them are not what I would call fond. My mother died when I was young, my father walked out on us, and my older brother was an opium addicted drunk." Meg stood, gathering the ink stained invitations and throwing them one by one into the fire burning under the pot of stew. She grabbed a ladel, stirring their supper idly, watching the swirling liquid as her mind raced with memories she wished she could forget. Memories which, when thought about, had oft brought her to the edge of the River Styx during her enslavement, looking longingly at the lethe water it contained; looking at her foggy reflection wondering if forgetting it all would be less painful. "The few relatives I have would not be happy for me, or I would not want them there." She bit her lip, fighting back the tears building up in her eyes. A startled gasp interrupted the sob threating to break the silence that hung in the kitchen like a thick fog as Hercules' strong arms wrapped around her waist, and his gentle lips buried into her hair. "I don't want to talk about them" was the only response she could muster to reply to his affection, knowing that her fiancé would want nothing more than to comfort her. _

"_But I'll be here when you do…" He wasn't always good at reading body language or tone, but it was obvious this was a subject that trying to broach wouldn't lead to anything pleasant. _

Hercules had respected her wishes, and to this day he wouldn't probe her about her past. There were things she had been willing to reveal, including the situation that lead to her incarceration in the Underworld. The day she had finally told him was full of tears, and the following week somber. He didn't want to see her depressed like that again, and he knew talking about her family would make her previous confession look like a comedy.

"Meg, you are an amazing woman, an incredible wife, a wonderful friend. You'll be a perfect mother. Have I ever lied to you?" Meg finally laughed, looking up at him,

"You really think so?" Herc nodded, kissing her again,

"I never lie to you, a hero is always honest and true!" Megara finally laughed, a full genuine laugh.

"Oh Gods Herc…" She struggled to regain her composure, "You and those Hero rules and philosophies."

"The Hero rules are important!" He protested. Meg tried to stifle her laughter, smiling at him sympathetically.

"Then don't forget the most important one," he looked at her quizzically,

"Number one, behind every hero is a woman holding him up." She smirked,

"Well yeah, who could forget that one?" They laughed together, Herc giving her another tight hug. "Come on, I want to celebrate! Let's go to Apollo's Balcony and get a nice meal to celebrate.

"Sounds like a plan wonderboy." She felt some of her anxiety melting away, and placed a hand over her thin stomach, "and if you're excited, then so am I" She let Hercules take her by the hand and lead her upstairs to the bedroom to get ready for an afternoon out together.

* * *

There was a persistent chill in the Underworld, penetrated only by the fire bursting out from Hades not infrequent bursts of rage over various events. His angry booming voice echoed through the damp darkness winding around the cavernous lair, slowly dimming as it penetrated deeper and deeper, until it was almost inaudible when it finally reached the trio of blind sisters.

Clothos stood before her loom, spinning a new thread for an infant soon to be born in a northern province of Greece. She inspected it carefully, looking at all events of this future life, but blind to the moment her sister Atropos would cut this thread. That information was dark even to her until Lachesis measured out the thread and determined this mortal's fate. Her sisters, Zeus, Hades, none knew what she knew. And none could spin what she could spin. In this, she was unique, and it filled her with a sense of power none could contest.

"How!" Atropos shouted, breaking Clothos from her much enjoyed silence. She turned, her single eye narrowing in frustration at her sister. Pain and Panic were fleeing from the room at the ancient crone's outburst.

"Found out about Hercules and Megara?" She worked the thread with a tenderness that was unexpected for someone who had been weaving the threads since the start of time. She sat back from her work, and prepared to spin the next thread when she felt a sudden pressure around her eye before she even saw the hand to cause it. "Lachesis! Let go! I need that you know!"

"Oh shut up you short old hag! You work has been had, to measure the thread my time is at hand!"

"I need to make sure it's perfect! The cosmos would collapse should it be defect!"

"Inspecting it is important, I cannot deny, but to measure the threat is the fate by my hands!"

Atropos took the eye next, while Clothos and Lechesis argued. "Important news we must not forget! The fate of the future may not be set... Megara and Hercules are pregnant you see! Our priority to learn, this news must be!"Clothos, sick of listening to everyone speak in verse finally groaned in frustration,

"Must you speak always in verse? Speak for once without a rhyme!"

"Says you in iambic pentameter."

"That won't be known for centuries now!"

"Then stop speaking in it!"

"Sisters!" Atropos shouted, causing her blind sisters to turn, "Stop arguing about speaking in verse, rhyme, or rhythm. Something has happened that even Clothos hadn't expected not long ago. Megara is pregnant!" Clothos, seemingly less concerned than her sisters shrugged it off

"We warned him 'bout what would result should he follow through with the demands he had!"

"I thought I told you stop speaking in iambic pentameter if you're going to complain about speaking in rhyme!" The three sisters resumed their arguing, pulling the eye between the three of them.


	3. Chapter 3

I realized,given the content of my previous fanfics, I realized I need to offer a warning. This one is going to be a bit darker than my others, and I just don't want anyone to be offended. Not that my other mindless babbles have been all unicorns and rainbows, but I still figured a warning was necessary. Also, I don't want Megara bring the rightful heir to King Creon to really be a party of this story, so... using mythology rather loosely. If at all. Plus... the real story is pretty depressing. Others have written about it, including a wonderful in progress story by Bwaygal. I highly recommend reading it. I'm sticking mostly to the Disney universe, and my own demented brain. And please excuse my overuse of compound sentences... I realize my formatting gets repetitive.

* * *

Hercules was sleeping soundly, one arm traped loosely over Meg's slender waist. Despite the cold, he had fallen asleep nude after sharing and intimate interlude with Meg upon their return from their night out. Meg had one arm behind her head, the other lightly resting over Hercules's. She felt goosebumps run up her arms, and carefully moved his arm so she could slip out of bed to gather her discarded clothing. Her mind was still swimming with the news that she was pregnant. As frightened as she was, she was surprised it hadn't happened sooner, but it hadn't made her any less worried. She hadn't been completely honest Hercules regarding her family.

Her father had not walked out on her mother, rather, Megara was the one who left. Her mother had been unable to bear the death of her brother, and taken her own life. Angry at her mother, and never having seen eye to eye with her father, she left. She felt guilty for not disclosing that her father was Creon, iKing/i Creon. She hoped that pretending not to be part of that family would help her escape their curse. Everyone in her family seemed to die prematurely, and never naturally, or easily for that matter. One brother was eaten by the Sphinx when he failed his riddle, her mother's suicide was extremely messy and took the damn woman three days to die. She herself had died horribly as well. _At least I had Wonderboy to save me._ I Hercules, a man powerful enough to defy her family's curse, defy Hades, defy death itself.

She slipped into the nightdress she had balled in her fists, and slipped back into bed. SHe laid on her side, looking out at the sky through the slit in the curtains that sealed their balcony. On their date Hercules was unable to talk about anything besides the pregnancy, and everyone he wished to tell. She had managed to convince him it was bad luck to inform anyone so early in the pregnancy. While she wasn'tlying, her true motivation was masked by a flurry of excuses and changes in subject. She didn't want him to ask about telling her surviving family members. But now, as she lay in bed with nothing but the darkness to keep her company, she wondered if she had the right to keep her father from ever meeting his grandchildren. She tried to convince herself the baby was still months away, but failed to push these nagging questions from her mind.

Groaning, she slapped her hands over her face and turned to lie on her back. She looked at her husband, and listened to his gentle breathing. She envied his peaceful sleep, and wished she could be sleeping quietly beside him. But his sleep was anything but peaceful.

_Hercules staggered, looking at the dead Cyclops tumbling below. He turned quickly, startled by the voice of his screaming wife. He stood, looking in horror as she collapsed to the ground. The silence was so sudden it took him several moments to realize how still she was. He ran to her side, watching her slowly turn to ash. As he ran to her side a great wind picked up, blowing her ashes away. His nose was flooded with a stagnant metallic smell, his world turning black dust spun around him. He covered his stinging eyes, feeling a sticky warmth run down his cheeks._

_The wind grew louder, wipping past him with a deafening roar, sand and ash tearing at his skin. He tried to stand but his legs failed him, he tried to scream but had no voice, tried to look but was surrounded by darkness. But the darkness began to fade, the smell of blood now mixed with the acidic smell of sulfur. Using the heels of his calloused hands to rub the burning tears from his eyes he watched as his world grew back into focus once more. The wind stopped. All sound stopped. He spun around, looking for Meg. He found her. Hades stood, a wide grin on his face, holding Meg's form upright. She looked at him, her blank eyes peering strait through him, thin white hands resting over a large pregnant stomach._

_Hades opened his mouth as if to scream, silence pouring forth as an inky blackness climbed out of him. Hercules still struggled to stand, he reached for his sword but his arms were lead. The blackness took form of a great lion, with no eyes, no nose, no mouth. It loomed over the great city of Thebes, where thousands began to scream. The noise was so sudden Hercules tried to cup his ears, squinting his eyes as he struggled against the roar. He managed to look up as the great shadow loomed, lifting its paw to show nothing but ash in its wake. It walked forward, everything, everyone it touched melted into blackness. It opened it's great mouth to roar, the Erinyes extending their arms, pointing at Hercules with their boney fingers, the serpents around their waists unwinding and slithering down the great lion's mouth and moved towards him. The serpents stood on end, and began coiling around eachother and grew taller, until Hades once again stood before him. He reached out, his boney fingers stretching unnaturally long. Hercules managed to lift his dead arms, and swung._

Meg let out a loud yelp, a hand flinging to her ribs as Hercules jolted upright in his sleep having heard the scream.

"NO!" His voice echoed off the stone walls, still blind to the world around him. Meg looked next to her with feirce eyes,

"Gods damnit!"She shouted, rubbing her side feircly before she realized Hercules was gripped in a nightmare. "Hercules!"She shouted, ducking just in time as he flailed his arm in her direction again. She leapt backwards out of the bed, falling hard onto the marble floor as her foot caughtin the blankets. The thick sound of her hitting the floor combined with the storm of curses seemed to finally snap him out of his daze. She laid on the floor, helplessly gasping for the breath that had been knocked from her, and for several terrifying moments her muscles failed to respond and expand her chest to allow precious oxygen to fill her lungs. As a wave of dizziness began to flood over, she was finally able to push out her chest, and hungrily gulp a large breath of air, and whimpered with the shooting pain that came with it.

"Meg?!"He looked next to him, watching as Meg lifted herself from the floor after awkwardly falling again once her foot was untangled from the sheets. She sat back on the bed, tempted to ask him what the hell happened when she saw his pallor, and dilated eyes.

"Honey?" He reached for her, his breath catching in his throat for a moment as he swallowed hard. "A-are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah... are _you_ okay?" Her voice was ragged as she struggled for breath, her attempts to hide the extend of her pain were only successful because of Herc's current level of confusion. Herc looked at his hands, and looked back at her.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He lied quickly, something he was quite bad at.

"You don't look okay. Normally I'm the one having nightmares," She tried to chuckle and failed to suppress a painful moan as a hand flew over her injured ribs.

"Are you hurt?" Herc asked, still confused. His eyes were flickering around the room, looking for the shadow.

"I'm fine. Must have hurt it when I fell." She lied quickly, not wanting to make him feel guilty. Hercules didn't seem to believe her, and tugged at her nightdress until he was able to lift it and see the dark bruise already formed on her side.

"Did... did I do this?" He asked, already knowing the answer. A simple fall wouldn't leave a mark that dark. Meg tugged her clothing back down quickly, and grabbed Herc's hands in her own.

"You've got quite an arm there wonderboy." She joked. "Now, why don't we go downstairs. I'll make you some tea." She had normally been the one with the nightmares, and she knew how hard to was to sleep afterwards. She could almost never sleep after one of hers. Hercules would always bring her downstairs, and boil water for tea, and they would sit together until she felt better. It was her turn to return the favor.

"I... I hurt you..." His voice trailed off. Meg sighed, scooting back towards him.

"You didn't do it on purpose. You had a nightmare." Hercules looked at his hands, seemingly deaf to his wife's comforts. He caused damage with his strength, the tool he had finely tuned to his control. He hadn't lost it in two damn years, the tool he promised he would use only to protect. "Hercules look at me." She insisted, pulling him from his thoughts. "Herc, it was a nightmare. How many times have I given you a nice punch in the gut when I'm in the thralls of a nightmare?"

"But..."

"No buts. Answer me." Her stern violet eyes always seemed to look blue when she was staring him down.

"A lot..." He relented, the acid in the back of his throat receding as his heart began to beat at a more sensible rhythm.

"You had a nightmare, you don't get them often. You just got a little revenge for all the little love-taps my nightmares have cost. And it's just a bruise, I'll live." She wanted to chuckle, to try and ease the tension, but the pain in her ribs was a lot worse than she was willing to let on. She would have to have Hermes take a look at them. She was afraid to see Hippocrates, she was worried the seasoned doctor would call it domestic abuse. "Now get up, stop moping, and let me have a turn at making you some tea."

"Okay." The couple got up, and when Meg took his hand in hers she could feel him trembling, and his eyes were glazed with rare tears. She waited until they were in the kitchen with a fire on the hearth to try to ask Hercules what his dream had been about. Hercules looked at his hands again, hesitant to meet her piercing gaze.

"I... I don't even know. Everything was dark, and quiet. I was... helpless. I saw you," He paused, swallowing back the acid that was rising again in the back of his throat threaning him with intense nausea. "and Hades, and this black lion... snakes... the Erinyes." At the mention of the Erinyes Megara blanched. Hades had often used them as a threat against her, their name alone was enough to strike fear into most people's minds. But she knew how the Erinyes toyed, she had seen their handiwork, and luckily this did not reek of their foulness. Meg reached out, placing a hand gently over his,

"Hey. It was just a nightmare. Like you always tell me," She managed a smile, and got up to pour the boiling water over the tea leaves, handing Herc his cup carefully, so the trembling wouldn't spill any of the hot liquid.

"I know. But... Gods. This was something else." He drummed his fingers anxiously against the hot clay cup, 'Are you okay though? I mean... in the dream I was swinging at Hades... or what I thought was Hades... with all my strength. If I hit you anywhere near that hard I might have broken your ribs." Meg frowned, hoping he would be oblivious to that fact. But she should have known better. Growing up, unable to control his strength, he knew all too well the unintended consequences.

"What was it about?" Talking about her nightmares always helped her feel better, because as she explained them she could tell herself how illogical it was. Herc furrowed his brow, unsure if he wanted to talk about it. "You always make me tell you, your turn Wonderboy." Herc sighed, she was right. What did he have to be so afraid of anyways? The nightmare made no sense.

"It... well. It's hard to explain. Everything _felt_ wrong. I killed the Cyclops, and saw you. But you fell, and turned into black ash and blew away, but the blackness spun around and I was in the Underworld... Hades had you," Herc paused, leaving out the detail of seeing her in Hades's clutches apparently nine months pregnant, "Then a shadow crawled out of his mouth. It was like I was _seeing_ his scream instead of hearing it. THen the shadow looked like a lion, only all black and when it roared it was silent, the Erinyes were there and turned into snakes, came out of it's mouth, then wound around eachother and turned into Hades again, and I was back in Thebes... Hades reached for me, and I tried to punch him." Meg smiled softly,

"Feel better?" She asked. Hercules pondered for a moment, saying it all outloud did make it all seem silly. A shadow lion spitting snakes? He could admit how far fetched the nightmare was, but he couldn't shake this fear.

"It was more than just what I was seeing. Everything just felt... _wrong_" Meg moved over to him, giving him a soft kiss,

"I know honey... I get nightmares all the time and I know how hard it is to get rid of the fear even after you convince yourself it was just a silly dream. Come on, drink your tea and we can go for a walk. Maybe the fresh air will clear your head. Hercules finally managed a smile,

"Okay."

"That's better." Meg walked over to the sink and saw a Lily flower laying next to the fruits Hercules had purchased that morning. "Hmm, whats this?"

"Oh... I forgot about that. When I was in the market one of my fans asked where you were. When I told her you weren't feeling good she gave me a flower to give to you. I must have forgotten when you told me your good news," finally managing a full smile.

"It's pretty, what kind of flower is this?"

"Umm. I think its a Lily."

"Pretty. Well come on you big lug, lets get some fresh air." She extended her hand and Herc took it gratefully.

* * *

Chapter 3 is up. Cut me some slack I wrote this at 3am...


	4. Chapter 4

Pardon the delay, got busy. I want to reinstate my old habit of leaving a message to my reviewers at the start of every chapter. Also, I forgot to explain something I meant to at the end of the last chapter. The inspiration for Herc giving Meg a nice punch in his sleep was based off something that happened to me. I was sleeping, and my sleeping boyfriend (who must have been having a nightmare) socked me in the jaw. He had no friggin' clue, kept on sleepin', and then felt TERRIBLE for the week it took for my jaw to heal

CyberFlaneuse: Thank you for following my stories so loyally, you guys are my motivation to actually write these things =P

Becky: Your review confused my slightly, if you mean his nightmare? Yeah, Meg is usually the one who would be more likely to get them, and thus handle them better.

Queenbeautyhair: Here is your update!

Demi Brackensick: Thanks again for bein such a loyal reviewer, here is the update. I hope you enjoy! Like I said to Cyber, my loyal reviewers are what keep me postin!

The couple didn't venture very far into the gardens spread before their villa, the cloudy sky filtered most of the light from the moon leaving the outside dark, and difficult to travel. They sat down on a wooden bench, and gazed at the pale light of the city Thebes in the distance as if every torch and candle were lit. Meg's gaze traveled over to her husband who was still fidgeting nervously. She reached over and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Care to try again to tell me what that dream was about? You didn't really make much sense hon," Herc paused, furrowing his brow giving her that look he always gave when he was trying to think,

"It started with _that _night, the battle with Hades… it's all blurry and didn't make much sense. You died, but then your body turned into smoke or something, and the smoked turned into Hades, then I was in the underworld, then back in Thebes. The smoke turned into some weird black lion and the Erinyes came out of its mouth." He sighed, rubbing his face, "Stupid that I'm still so freaked out over a dream I can't even really remember anymore," He paused, holding her hand in his. "Umm… are you okay though? That bruise looked bad…" Meg did her best to put on a reassuring smile, trying to hide how sore she really was,

"It's just a little revenge for all the times I gave you a nice punch in my sleep."

"Meg," She sighed, even if she had so much as a thorn in her finger the boy worried, and wouldn't drop the subject. While endearing to know he cared for her so much, it could get frustrating.

"It's a bruise, I'll live," She tried to joke,

"That's not why I asked,"

"Hon, stop worrying so much. Yes, you punched me in your sleep. Yes, it left a bruise. Yes, it hurts. But you didn't do it on purpose."

"I know, but Meg, growing up… my strength… not controlling it always made bad things happen. I mean, I collapsed an entire agora! I destroyed my high school graduation, catapaulted our mule Penelope... don't worry she was fine. Everyone hated me, I was a freak. But I spent years training with Phil to control it, learn how to use it. Whenever I do something like this, it makes me wonder, do I really have it under control…"

"If you didn't have it under control I'm pretty sure you would have knocked me clear across the room," Her response managed to finally get a chuckle from him, "Come on. Let's go back to bed. It's pretty cold out here." Herc nodded, taking her hand and leading her back inside. She hadn't worn much when she had gone outside, and was shivering by the time they got back to their bedroom. She slipped into the bed, curling into the blankets until she looked like nothing but a mount of fabric and pillows. Hercules laughed, sliding into bed beside her.

"Cold honey?"

"No… I just felt like making a blanket fort." Hercules laughed at her again, until she narrowed her eyes and pushed her feet up against his thighs.

"Ah! Wow! Guess you are cold! Your feet could freeze water!" It was Meg who laughed this time, before lying back in the bed. Hercules seemed more at ease as he came to bed.

"Feeling better?"

"A little."

"Only a little? Hmm… seems I'll have to rectify that" Meg gave him a coy smile before leaning over him and stopping his thoughts with a deep kiss. "It is cold after all, why don't we try to warm up a little?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hades sat in his frozen stone throne, nursing his headache with a second bottle of absinthe. The remains of the first were still lying scattered across his map of the earth. The fates had called upon him unexpectedly. The news of Megara's pregnancy hit him harder than he expected. Not that he thought the girl would be barren, but he still couldn't picture her actually settling down with that ignorant oaf of a man, let alone letting him knock her up. There was a glimmer of hope hiding behind this, and behind that lie more troubling warnings. He wanted to be happy, hopeful, but past experience had told him that while Hercules still lives, he can't win.

_"The thread we spun, is now undone-" Atropos began,_

_ "Lades, I can't handle the rhyming today. Please, just… just don't use the rhymes." Clothos clicked her tongue at him, tearing her eye away from Atropos. _

_ "So be it. Some events can go in different directions, such as the battle for Olympus. When we spun Hercules's thread he was destined to die under that pillar, but Megara changed that when she sacrificed herself. We took her thread instead. That is how we fixed that change in the design. One thread for another. When Hercules brought her back, we had no place for her thread, so we simply tied the ends of her thread back together, and shoved it into the cosmos. The hero, he was not pleased." Atropos dropped her fist onto Clotho's head, taking the eye back and taking over the tale,_

_ "He demanded we fix it. He took our eye, we had no choice! But her thread is not supposed to be in that tapestry, we had to put it back in. It is unraveling a part of the tapestry. The Titans… are returning. They were killed by a man who's destiny had changed to one of death, but he was saved by a woman who's destiny had also been death. I do not know when they will return,"_

_ "Enough with the cryptic syntax. Just spit it out!" Hades was not in the mood to prim and flatter the fates, their rhymes and riddles were edging on his already shortened nerves_

_ "The Titans died at the hands of a man who was supposed to die. He wasn't supposed to defeat them. We fixed it by taking Meg's thread instead of Hercules's, and then he was alive to defeat the Titans. But when he brought her back and forced a new thread, we had to put a thread in a place where there is supposed to be none. It is making it unravel."_

_ "I thought a pulled thread caused a rug to fall apart, not adding an extra,"_

_ "This is the cosmos Hades… not a sweater." Clothos, sick of listening to her sister, took the eye back once more,_

_ "The planets, they are moving back, to line up in a great conjunction once more. I warned him, that the entire cosmos would feel the repercussions of his actions,"_

_ "Wait wait wait," Hades held his hands up, furrowing his brow, "This doesn't add up. Didn't that musician guy come down here and bring some dead chick back up there? Him and that dame music of his. "_

_ "Yes, but his wife only died from a snake bite. Also, he did not force us to spin a new thread."_

_ "But little Nut-Meg up there was a poltergeist with everyone fighting to get in her body, that didn't happen to that musician's wife?"_

_ "I said he did not force us. We were able to spin a new thread. The –" Lachesis cut in, pulling the eye away from her stout sister. _

_ "You are too confusing sister! Be more concise, we have work to do. Her death involved a snake, Megara died because of saving Hercules from the Titans. A lot more complex. The Cosmos fixed the run in the fabric by hatching a new snake to poison another person, to replace the snake bite death that was taken from it. The Cosmos needs the deaths the Titans were supposed to cause back. Level the playing field. You stole my cookie so I steal one back from someone else, got it? The Cosmos wants to push reset on the even!" _

_ "Alright. So, let me get this strait, Hades versus the reigning champ Zeus round two?"_

_ "Be weary, for our first warning still stands. Should Hercules fight, you will fail." Lachesis warned_

_ "Alright, back to square one. How to kill a bozo in 90 days,"_

_ "We do not-" _

_ "Yes I know! I know you didn't tell me when this will happen, it's an idiom! So what does Meg's being knocked up have to do with anything."_

_ "She was never supposed to be able to have children. Her thread was removed from the tapestry before she would bear children. They were never meant to be. She is adding more lives to a Cosmos that is still trying to take some away"_

_Xxxxxxxx_

There were no birds outside to wake the couple, just the feel of wind breaking through the heavy curtains that were the only barrier to the chill outside. Meg shivered, pulling the blankets tighter over her shoulders. She looked at her discarded clothes that had made it halfway across the room and wished she had maintained the sense to redress so she wouldn't be so cold. Her gaze shifted to the empty bed beside her, a small piece of parchment on the table weighted down by a silver candlestick.

_Honey,_

_ Left early for some training with Phil. I'll be home in time for dinner, I just need to clear my head after last night._

_ Love,_

_ Hercules._

Meg frowned a bit at the letter, and placed it back on the end table. Sitting up she felt a sharp pang of pain shoot through her side, catching her breath in her throat. She looked at her ribs, and saw that the bruise had gotten much darker, and the area looked swollen.

"Gods…" She was suddenly glad Herc had left early, she never would have heard the end of it if he had seen this bruise. She slid out of bed carefully, stifling a yawn as any deep breath made it feel as if she was being punched again. "Kid's got quite an arm…" The winter clothing was still stashed away in a storage room, forcing her to dress in lighter clothing. She walked over to the balcony, putting her thumb and finger under her tongue to let out a shrill whistle. In a few moments there was a blue blur, and the blue God appeared just behind her on the balcony.

"'Mornin' babe, what's cookin'?" After the wedding Hermes had taken to offering help to the young couple, saying it was the least he could do for his half-brother and his wife.

" I need you to look at this bruise for me, I think I might have cracked a rib…"

"How did you manage that? Wrestling monsters with Herc?"

"Kind of actually, he was having a nightmare with some sort of monster and must have dreamed he was punching it, and his fist found my chest."

"Ouch, babe, really man like ouch…" The beatnik adjusted his glasses, and fluttered past her into the bedroom as Meg followed. She wrapped a blanket around her waist to hike up her dress so Hermes could see what she was talking about. "That's some serious bruising babe, " He lightly touched his cassidus to her , and clicked his tongue at her, "Yeah, you got some cracked ribs. But I should be able to help. I can't cure you, but here," Hermes produced a pouch filled with a white powder, and a second filled with small bits of a strange brown root

"It's dried powdered white willow bark. It should help the pain and the swelling, it's really bitter but take about two pinches of it. The root is ginger, just boil it up in some tea it works great for welling."

"Thank you," Meg smiled gratefully, accepting the treatments from the deity. She then realized that they had never told anyone the news of her pregnancy, and wondered if these herbs were a danger in any way. "Can you keep a secret?" She asked, lifting a suspicious eyebrow

"Of course, anything for my favorite mortals."

"Well… I'm pregnant. I just want to make sure that these things aren't bad for a baby. Me and Herc haven't had the chance to tell anyone, and I'm sure he wants his family to hear it from him. I'm only tell you like this so I don't take something dangerous," she found herself blushing, feeling meek having to discuss such a mortal matter with a God.

"Congratulations babe! No no no these won't harm you at all, and I promise, it's our secret until Hercules tells everyone," Hermes lifted a hand to his mouth as if to gesture his promise.

"Thank you Hermes." Meg was never sure how to talk to the Gods, they treated her like family but these were the Gods, the ones you bowed and prayed to, the ones you feared and loved. And here she was chatting about her pregnancy with one.

"Anytime babe. I have to get back to the big guy or he'll have Hephaestus tan my hide," The God kissed the back of her hand in an gentlemanly fashion and flew off, a blue blur disappearing through the curtains. Meg pushed her dress back down past her waist and looked at the medicine pouches. Her ribs were throbbing worse now, talking had not made the pain feel much better. She stood, wrapping a blanket about her shoulders again and went to the kitchen to prepare some tea.

Xxxxxxxxx

Umm… not my best work I'll admit. I hope it was up to par.

I hope that wasn't TOO confusing. I had to write the part with Hades and the Fates about 3 times and I'm still not satisfied I got what's in my head into words.

White willow bark is what you make Aspirin out of

I hope you enjoyed.


	5. Chapter 5

Pardon my extreme absence…

For those who are unfamiliar with them, there is a more extreme form of nightmare called a night terror. Common in children, most people outgrow them but some adults have them. They usually involve a physiological response to the nightmare. So the person tends to wake up screaming, rapid pulse, hyperventilating, cold sweats, and in some cases very brief hallucinations. I myself have these every now and then. And logic: Does. Not. Work. You are incapable of believing "its just a dream" you are irrationally terrified, even if on some level you KNOW you are safe. You literally CANNOT fall asleep as you are in the midst of a full blown panic attack. They are very strange, and hard to explain unless you yourself have had one.

Sheep: Thank you for the pointers, I'm always open to learning more about Ancient Greece as I try to keep my story as on-track as possible without _completely_ blowing up canon. I did try to research their diets prior to writing this, apparently I stumbled upon some false information. Well thank you for the clarifications! On that note though, I am aware of how it's more of a social norm for persons of money and/or power to have servants and slaves. This felt too out of character for Herc and Meg, so it's an aspect of ancient Greek life I opted out of.

Becky: Glad you like!

I really hope I haven't lost ALL my readers to my complete lack of an update schedule.

* * *

Herc sat up sharply in the bed, his breath hitching in his chest as his heart throbbed rapidly flooding his ears with the sound of his own pulse. His skin was coated in a cold sweat, and a troubled scream stifled in his throat. The passing weeks had been littered with nightmares, his mind tormented with images he never knew were possible. The dim redness in the sky leaking through the window told him it must be early dawn. He forced himself to sit back, placing his still trembling hands over his face. He always tried to remind himself that they were nightmares, silly dreams. But logic failed to bring any form of comfort. The lack of sleep was beginning to catch up with him. At first it had been disturbingly easy to hide it from Meg, as the consequences mostly involved him taking a harder beating than usual whilst on duty. However, the bruises got harder to hide, and there was no talking his way out of the dark circles surrounding his bloodshot eyes. He had run through every possibility in his mind: stress over the baby, trauma from past events, rage at Hades, or simply torment from Hades. None of it added up. He was beginning to wonder if he was losing his mind.

He drew his hands away, staring at them as he tried to use his blood-free hands as an anchor to reality. The nightmare had been so damned real; he could still feel the sticky stains on his fingers. He slid out of bed, knowing any hope of sleep was beyond his reach. He figured tending to Pegasus's stable would help clear his head. His best friend always knew just how to cheer him up. Besides, the last thing he wanted to do was give Meg any additional unnecessary stress. He dressed in a simple tunic, and made his way down the elaborate marble stairs.

Despite his growling stomach Hercules opted out of an early breakfast and made his way down the dirt path. The morning air still held the crisp night chill, and he regretted not having changed into more appropriate clothing after rolling out of bed. He never seemed to think clearly in the mornings anymore. Inside Pegasus was sound asleep, his snores loud enough to scare off the nearby birds who often snacked on the winged beasts seeds.

Sensing an intruder Pegasus sat up sharply, spinning around ready to rear up when he saw his very groggy best friend standing in the dimly lit doorway. Hercules attempted a meager smile, but just like his wife his best friend could see through his pathetic façade.

"Yeah, I know. I look like I've been to the Underworld and back haven't I?" He got a series of tweets and snorts,

"Yeah… another nightmare. I tell myself it's just a dream. But… I dunno, it's odd. "Pegasus nodded, shaking the sleep out of his body. Normally he would blow Herc off and go back to sleep, but over the passing weeks Hercules seemed to be coming to the stables at the crack of dawn with annoying regularity. He sat patiently, listening to his friend talk through the dreams, which at times were often enough to give Pegasus chills. He snorted and chirped some more, flapping his wings.

"I don't want to worry Meg. She already knows I've been getting nightmares but she's pregnant… I don't want to stress her out. It can't be good," Pegasus's eyes narrowed,

"What could Phil do? Plus he won't like his big famous Hero having nightmares like I'm a kid again!"….. "And what would a doctor do?... Well I come to _you_ to talk about them, why is a doctor different?... Yes I know it's-" Pegasus finally headbutt his friend hard on the forehead, trying to knock some sense into him. Hercules rubbed his head, and turned to grab a rake to start cleaning out the stables while he continued to argue the merits of seeking help for his nightmares.

Meg awoke after the sun had risen to fully light the sky, and she turned over to find the bed empty once more. She had come to expect it, and told herself not to worry. The sharp weather was causing her scars to burn, and she rubbed at them roughly before stumbling out of bed.

"Your dad's crazy you know, up at the ass crack of dawn every morning. He could at least wait until its officially morning." She said aimlessly to her flat stomach. She had never been much of a morning person, and didn't feel remotely awake until she had drank two cups of tea. She had stopped looking for Hercules in the mornings; she figured he was in the stables again. She stood up and dropped the clay cup and gripped the edge of the table as the periphery of her vision blurred and closed in, her head feeling as if she was under water. A moment later her mouth filled with saliva and she doubled over evacuating the contents of her stomach. After she finally finished she went to gather some rags and water to clean the mess she made, but as she stood up again her vision once more started to close in and she felt a sudden wetness on her thighs. She groaned, trying to focus her distorted vision to the crimson stain spreading across the front of her nightdress and down her legs

"N..No…" She clutched the edge of the counter before everything went black.

* * *

"It's happening" Hades spun, the firey hair on the back of his neck blazing white hot as he turned around at the sudden voice to see the mutilated face of one of his Erinyes.

"I need to put a bell on you guys! Geeze! And _what_ is happening oh cryptic one." Hades asked, swirling his empty glass until it refilled itself with mulled wine.

"The Fates, they foretold of the woman called Megara and her involvement in the rebirth of the Titans."

"Oy, am I the only one here who speaks _normally_. Get to the point. I can't handle any more beating around the bush." He rubbed his forehead roughly, his white hot flames dulling to a soft blue.

"The Fates foretold of the rebirth of the Titans. An injured cosmos repairing her wounds, the ragged edges smoothed and the fabric sewn together again. Time for planning is ended, time for action is at hand."

"So the Titans… are back, already?"

"The time is at hand."

"Ladies, you do lovely work, but please… _get, to the __**point!"**_ The passing weeks he had spent trying to pull his plans together forced him to be surrounded by the Fates and the Erinyes, and the rhymes and cryptic subtlety had driven him half insane. He wished just one of his fellow underworld deities would speak normally. Charon would, but that fellow was too morbid even for Hades at times.

Last time he had to use the Titans he had eighteen years to prepare, so he wasn't very ready little more than a month after the original warning. He couldn't seem to formulate a plan. Hercules would fight, the damn hero was too much an idiotic muscle man to pass up a good fight. Hercules was a damned idiot, but even that moron wouldn't accept one of Hades' deals to sap his strength again. Especially after his little possession stunt. That certainly backfired pretty hard. The only thing he could think of was possibly trying to distract Hercules, draw him away from Mount Olympus or any way to find out about the Titans. If he could draw him into the underworld, there was a small chance he wouldn't be there to fight and he could regain his rightful throne on Olympus.

"So, pray tell, is this big reason you think the time has come for the Titans?"

"The unforeseen life the dead woman has tried to bring into an already broken cosmos has been lost,"

"So… in plain Greek, Meg lost her baby?"

"The unintended life will never be."

"That's a yes. Hmm… that's the best news I've heard! Now go back to whatever speech therapist you see to learn how to talk like that while I go get my ears attacked some more by the Fates." He drummed his fingers together, he could use this. This certainly was some good news. Maybe he wasn't such a lost cause after all.

* * *

Hercules had taken Pegasus down to the river for some fresh air and to rinse off the soils of the stable from himself before returning home. The water was cold, and the air even colder once he was wet but his wife often got upset when he tracked mud from the kitchen door up to the bathroom.

As he mounted up Pegasus whinnied and chirped again, stomping his hooves into the hard ground,

"Yeah I feel much better. Some time outside definitely cleared my head." The irrational fear had subsided and he felt almost like himself again. Despite the chill he wanted to go to the agora before heading home to pick up some fish and grain for supper. The early noon rush was bustling through the crowded markets, exaggerated with the frequent stops by ravenous fans. He made his way slowly through the crowds, past the beckoning meat vendors and thieves selling their ill begotten jewels. The fish mongers were always at the docks, and he was surprised to see a familiar face with her arms full of flowers. The girl ran up to the hero, a bright childlike smile on her young face.

"Good morning! How are you today?"

"I'm great thank you, you're the girl who was selling flowers a few weeks ago when Meg wasn't feeling well "Hercules was surprised he recognized her after so long. He was approached by so many fans he rarely could keep track of one face from another. Perhaps it was the fact this particular fan could behave like a mature controlled human being instead of a dog in heat.

"That's me! I'm surprised you remember… You look tired,"

"Yeah, rough night of sleep. I'll just go to bed early tonight."

"Well here, another flower on the house," Hercules took the flower and admired the flush of pink across the delicate milky white petals. It looked quite a lot like the girl herself. She was surprisingly pale for a Greek woman, and her cheeks were flushed most likely from the cool wind.

"A lily remember? Meg seemed to feel better after I gave you the last lily, so this one is to make you feel better."

"Thank you, I hope you have a great day miss…?"

"Amarantos. Everyone calls me Amara."

"Good name for a girl who grows really pretty flowers."

"That's what my mother always told me" Herc gave her a short wave of goodbye, trying to ignore all the jealous looks the other girls were giving Amarantos. He continued down the docks signing autographs, fending off fangirls, ignoring the too-good-to-be-true sales pitches from most of the vendors and purchased his fish and grains for porridge at the end of the docks. Being a horse, albeit a magical bird-like one, he had to wait hitched to a post at the entrance of the agora with the other equines. It took Hercules nearly an hour to venture through the agora and fight his way back to Pegasus who was enthralled with the apples the local children were feeding him. Supplies in hand Hercules gave the children his autograph, unable to ignore their pleading eyes before leaping into Pegasus and heading for home.

"Having fun with the kids?" Pegasus nodded enthusiastically. The horse was as excited for his friend's child, even though he was quite jealous as well. The ride home was pleasant, the cloudless sky finally bring the air to a milder temperature. Pegasus fluttered out to his pasture after dropping Hercules off at the front door. Hercules opened the door about to beckon for Megara when he found her pale form lying in a blood stained dress as a crimson pool was drying around her.

* * *

I am a terrible person. Pardon the fact I can't write for shit tonight. I hope you like this update. I hope it didn't feel too rushed…


	6. Chapter 6

Hercules sat with his face buried in his hands, the throbbing in his head punctuated by the burning in his eyes. He had long since fetched the midwife to his home, and had been banished to the den while she worked with Megara. The woman had insisted the amount of blood was nothing to fret about, that with a miscarriage it was the norm, and her loss of consciousness had nothing to do with the loss of blood. She explained something caused an imbalance in the body, and her body forced her to purge it. She had brought a jar of leeches with her to further drain the cause of this imbalance but Hercules had insisted against it. Something about draining further blood from her pale form felt wrong. All her chatting about the balance of miasma was beyond his understanding, and decided her 'cure' made little sense. He insisted she leave the leeches behind, and hadn't heard a word from the woman since. Being alone was the last thing he had wanted after being sent away from his own bedroom, and sent Pegasus out to fetch Ikarus and Cassandra. He knew they would help him during this trying time.

He looked at his hands, Meg's dried blood cracking as he flexed his fingers, scratching at the itch the crimson stains caused. Meg had regained consciousness while he waited for Pegasus to return with the midwife, and it was Meg who immediately understood what was happening. Her anguished cries refused to stop echoing in his ears, and he wished he had anything to scour that sound from his memory.

_Hercules cradled a groaning, semiconscious Meg in his arms, beats of sweat rolling down his forehead and stinging his eyes. Some coherency returned and her unintelligible mumbles turned into words, but with her coherency also came the realization that her body was rebelling against her. Before she could fully grasp what was happening, she was aware of a gripping pain clutching at her insides as if Hades himself had wrapped his twisted fingers around her organs and were trying to tear them out. Her blurred vision focused and she realized she was bleeding, and quickly realized she was in the thralls of a miscarriage. _

"_No… no no no… no no!" She stammered, trying to sit up. She groaned and doubled over as another spasm of pain gripped her lower abdomen, stopping the words short in her throat. She could hear Hercules trying to coo and comfort her, but she would have none of it. She knew what was happening, and knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. All she knew was that she must have made a mistake somewhere. Guilt wedged its way into her mind, and no words would be able to pull that wedge from her mind. _

_Hercules looked helplessly at her, filled with relief that she was alright, grief at the loss of their unborn, then guilt that he could have any positive feelings of any sort at this moment. He tried his best to stutter some words of comfort, running his fingers through her hair, placing trembling kisses atop her head. Tears poured though his bloodshot eyes as he pulled her into a tight embrace, realizing that no words could take away her anguish. Before they could have a moment to wrap their minds around the event, Pegasus burst into the kitchen with an elderely woman who quickly demanded Herc step aside, and ushered his confused wife away behind the velvet curtains of their bedroom on the second floor. _

Herc got up and went to the kitchen, attempting to make himself some tea to try and settle his nerves. He knew it wouldn't work, but the task would provide a temporary activity to distract him. He struggled with the flint to get a fire sparked and after a few frustrating moments threw the stone with all the power his muscles held, and it quickly vanished as a black dot far into the horizon. He sat down hard on the stone floor, and let the grief overwhelm him once more. Tears obscured his vision until he rubbed them away. He tried telling himself this was common, that all couples endured this, and they had more than enough time to try again for their first child. But logic wouldn't work. Not that it was something that could ever bring him comfort, but it seemed nothing could at this time.

* * *

Pegasus flew through the clouds, Cassandra and Icarus atop his back. He flew as fast as he could; knowing Hercules was relying on him. He somewhat understood what was happening. He knew that Hercules and the-other-one he knew as 'Meg' were having a baby human, their very own foal, and that something bad had happened to this foal-to-be and that humans needed other humans when bad things such as the loss of a foal-to-be happened. Hercules had sent him to get a special human, and to get his friends. Pegasus liked these two friends better than the special human. He remembered them from when Hercules was at the large building called a 'school'. The villa finally appeared, standing like a beacon atop the hill marking the edge of the suburbs that led to the edge of Thebes proper. He flapped harder, feeling a tighter tug on his mane. He ignored the discomfort, it was temporary. Hercules being sad would be longer, and getting home faster might bean Hercules would be sad for shorter.

He flew until he was only several yards away from the front door, forcing him to stop short launching the friends from his back. He snorted an apology, and tried to nudge them towards the doorway even as they were struggling to regain their footing. The tall female-friend tried shooing him away and disappeared into the doorway and the shorter male-friend who smelled of ashes gave him a gentle pat on the nose, uttering human-words at him before vanishing inside. He knew most of the human words, and wished he knew how to speak them. He wanted to comfort everyone with human-words the way they could comfort each other. The best he could manage was horse and bird words, but only Hercules seemed to understand those. Rather than return to the stables he laid in the grass, standing vigil should Hercules need him to gather others. He could sense, for lack of a proper word, the anxiety rising off all the humans, and it made him sad he couldn't sense any happy.

* * *

Hercules looked up just as his friends came rushing into the kitchen. He embraced them fiercely, wondering why he had allowed so much time to pass since the last time he saw them, and regretted that it took such tragic circumstances to bring them together again. He had seen them many times since high school, but it had been months from their last visit.

Icarus had certainly grown. Puberty had done the boy wonders. Still shorter than Cassie, she could now only boast two centimeters over him at best. His mass of singed hair had grown out and his old natural curls had returned. His deep olive skin betrayed the length of time he spent in the sun with his father, and even his red eyes had recovered from his crash to earth and regained their natural light brown color. The time spent outside had also bestowed him with an impressive set of muscular arms, and Hercules wondered how often Icarus had to reject admiring women.

Cassie looked nearly the same, save a more womanly figure. She looked no taller than their teenage years, and her auburn hair was as pin-strait as ever. A trait she often disliked, most Greek women had luscious curls, and she was cursed with lifeless locks. Hercules had oft told her not everyone liked the status-quo, and she had vehemently refuted him. He wondered as well how often she too had to fight off suitors. Despite her utter lack of any emotion that may even be mistaken as self-esteem, Hercules knew she was an attractive woman and wished she could just accept it for herself.

Hercules pulled back from their embrace, glad he had sent Pegasus with a written letter to spare him from having to say the words to explain his grief. He wasn't sure he could form any words. His friends gave him nervous sympathetic smiles. Icarus gave Hercules a hearty clap on the shoulder, biting his lip trying to keep his own composure together. Cassandra broke her eye contact, never comfortable at such emotional affairs. She had to be here for Herc, she understood that, but couldn't help but feel awkward nonetheless.

Her gaze moved about the room aimlessly, until her eyes fell upon a strange familiar sight. In a leather satchel that appeared to have been tossed half-across the kitchen, she saw a white flower with pink features strewn on the floor. She recognized that Lily flower quickly, and her discomfort grew deeper. She fought the urge to ask about that flower right away, and tried to ignore the nagging thoughts pulling at her.

"Herc… Gods Herc I'm sorry." She managed, rubbing his back. Hercules nodded at her, and she could see her words had caused his eyes to flash with tears once more. Her eyes looked around, trying to think of something to say, but all she could think of was that flower, "That's a pretty flower over there… gift for Meg?" She asked, hoping the question was not inappropriate.

"Flower?" _What flower?_ He was confused, and saw her gesture at his satchel on the floor. He had forgotten completely about it. When he had walked into the house and was greeted with the sight of Meg in the kitchen, he had thrown the satchel and everything quickly became a blur. _Was there a flower?_ He tried to remember why he even had the satchel. _The agora… right. And that odd girl. Amarantos that's right. She had a name fit for a girl who sold flowers. _"Oh… right the Lily. Yeah, some girl in the agora gave it to me. I remember she had a name I thought was funny for a girl who sold flowers… Amarantos."

_Damnit!_ Cassandra knew she wasn't just being paranoid when she saw that flower. She would have to have a conversation to Amarantos. _That stupid girl…_ She thought to herself. _Stupid…_

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed this. Pardon the delay. The Pegasus section was fun to write, trying to keep Pegasus in character while keeping in mind he is a simpler mammal. It's difficult to personify non-human characters, so I did the best I could.

I struggled with the ending of this chapter, I wanted to introduce the fact Amara wasn't just a random character with no purpose. But I didn't want to imply she was some witch who caused the miscarriage or somethin' stupid like that. But I didn't wanna give a lot away... thoughts?


	7. Chapter 7

New chapter! Holy crap I'm unpredictable! =D Several weeks of nothing, then POOF two chapters in less than 10 days!

Sheep: I genuinely appreciate your criticism, and I've been tryin' to apply what you've told me to the story. I did look up Amarantos's name prior to using it, mayhaps I mistakenly chose the male version of the name I was searching for, I meant Amarantha because it is the name of a flower. Thanks for the clarification, I'll try to retroactively correct this. The phrase "balance of miasma" is not a religious reference. It is a reference to the idea that the body was a balance of 4 "miasmas" (blood, urine, mucus, and I'm afraid I forget the 4th), and an imbalance in these is what lead to illness. I'm afraid I do not know exactly when that theory came to be but I find it amusing to have as a side-note in the story as germ theory did not exist until the 20th century. I use tea as a common drink because I don't feel like pumping my characters full of alcohol all the time and I felt it was a generic enough drink. Hot water + plant = something. However, as I said, I do appreciate you pointing these things out and I try to apply them as I write =)

Demi: Amarantos was the girl who gave Herc those flowers when he went to the agora. I will be correcting her name though, Sheep pointed out that I accidently picked a male name. Her name is Amarantha now. I'll retroactively fix that when I have a good opportunity.

Cyber: Glad you liked the update, and I hope you continue to follow

Tigrera: Thank you dear, I'm glad you like my writing style. I didn't really want to kill off Meg, as writing Herc though such monumental devastation would be difficult, and not the direction I was planning to take.

Seems you guys think I did alright with Pegasus, glad it worked out well. I don't know if you read the above notes to people, but as Sheep pointed out Amrarantos is a boy's name and I've thus changed it to Amarantha. It has the same meaning, but it's the more female version. I looked it up, so hopefully my source isn't incorrect again.

Oh and grammar Nazis: No picking on in-dialogue grammar. They speak like people and thus make mistakes. If its OUTSIDE of dialogue please point it out, but inside its usually intentional.

Xxxxx

* * *

Cassandra turned from the discarded satchel and sat next to Herc, placing a hand on his back. She was never very good at this comforting thing, but did her best to be there for her friend. She looked up at Icarus and silently begged him to take charge, being the shoulder to cry on was more of his specialty.

"Herc," Icarus's voice was unusually tepid, lacking the usual spark of toddler-esque hyperactivity. "I'm sorry buddy. I know it feels impossible to look at the good here, but you still have Megara don't you? In a time like this you have to remember to be thankful for that much at least." Hercules looked at him, the silence hanging thick in the air before a sigh from Icarus broke through, "Meg is gonna' need ya to be the strong one here. And the only way to do that is to try and look at the good Herc. You have each other, and you can have many more babies." Herc nodded solemnly, rubbing his face roughly with one hand. It was the same thing he had been telling himself, but it didn't help him feel any less guilty that he was capable of any positivity.

Cassandra was relieved that Icarus took over the role of comfort. Not one to ever want children herself; she couldn't even try to put herself in his place to decide how to comfort him. She was still distracted by that damnable flower Hercules had. She wished she could leave to track down that stupid girl, but she couldn't leave Hercules at a time like this. Not after sending for her specifically to keep him company. But Amarantha was nothing if not cryptic, and was the very queen of subtly. The appearance of that flower was never good news; Cassandra was not the only prophet of doom in Greece.

While lost in her distractions, Icarus had seemed to successfully bring Hercules out of searing depression, and she was sure she saw a half-hearted smile. She excused herself for a moment, thinking that some nice mulled wine might do the boy some good. When she returned he attempted to protest, but once she pushed the mug into his hand he gave in. She gave him a sad smile, and reached carefully around his arm and hugged him, sighing against his shoulder,

"I'm so sorry Herc. I know you're hurting… but hey. That's why me and Ick are here." She pulled back, and he nodded at her before she took a seat in the chair across from her pair of friends. They all sat in the den, sharing tales of their adventures and misadventures from their last encounter. The tales were a solid distraction, and for a time Hercules felt relief from his mourning. The group had finished nearly an entire jar of the crimson liquid when the midwife finally toddled out of the room.

"Sir? You may see your wife now." In one sullen sentence the crushing depression returned, and he stood up carefully, trying to collect himself to be strong for Meg as Cassandra and Icarus had said. He felt a firm grip on his shoulder and moved past the curtains. Cassandra and Icarus waited behind, watching their sullen friend vanish through the doorway.

Hercules moved slowly towards the bedroom where Meg lay. He moved slowly to her side and sat on the edge of the bed, carefully taking her hand in his. She was pale, and it was hard to believe the midwife's earlier reassurances that she was alright. She turned to face him as he advanced, her eyes were bloodshot and her pallor exaggerated the dark circles around her eyes. She inhaled sharply to speak, but bit her lip as tears flooded her eyes. She didn't know what to say. Hercules, grasping the need for silence, embraced her without a word. She gripped him with surprising strength, her fingers grasping his toga tightly. The silence was broken by a muffled sob that Meg failed to choke back. Hercules sighed into her hair, rubbing her back gently.

* * *

Cassandra poured herself another cup of the wine, beginning to feel the blissful lightheadedness of the alcohol finally taking effect. She felt utterly lost. Even Icarus seemed less cheerful than usual.

"They'll get through this." Icarus finally broke the silence, and the cheerful optimism and the perpetual smile on his face, for once, looked artificial and false. Even Icarus wasn't perpetually happy on such a despondent time. Cassandra looked about the room, the decor having changed slightly from her last visit. There were fewer trophies and awards, and in place of the Greek art there seemed to also be many pieces that were obviously from another country. She could not identify from where, travel didn't suit her. But it appeared that Hercules had done some traveling, or at least ran into a merchant who did. Then she remembered that damnable flower.

She wished she could forget about it, and focus on the situation at hand. She felt guilty for wanting so badly to leave to investigate; she knew her priority should lie here with her friends. Guilt, not an emotion Cassandra was used to. She normally went about her way, and failed to care enough about others or their opinions to feel this much guilt. But her friends were different. She was trying to think of how she could provide comfort, and tried to share in Icarus's optimism that they would be alright. But the poor couple seemed to be plagued with misfortune. She mused if it was related to Megara's family curse.

Cassandra was no fool, she figured out who Megara was. But the woman made her promise never to tell Hercules. She wondered why Megara would want to keep such a secret from Hercules, but she wasn't one to go spoiling people's secrets if she agreed with them or not. She certainly had her own share. Cassandra was drawn from her musing when Hercules emerged from the bedroom.

"Hey guys…" Cassandra and Icarus stood, waiting for permission to see Meg.

"How is she?" Icarus asked,

"Physically she's actually okay. But she's so… sad." Hercules frowned, sad wasn't even an appropriate word. She thought she was at blame for the event, despite reassurances from him and the midwife that nearly every woman experienced at least one miscarriage. But her constant self-depreciating nature wouldn't allow her to believe them. She seemed to want to avoid any attempts at cheering up, and when told Icarus and Cassandra wanted to see her she said that she wasn't ready to see anybody yet, which he then explained to his eagerly awaiting friends.

"She just needs a little time. You're welcome to stay the night." Hercules explained sadly after having to explain that it wasn't the best idea to go see Megara just yet. Even if she didn't want company, he needed it.

"I'll go to the agora and get us something to eat," Cassandra offered, seeing an opportunity to speak to Amarantha. With her eagerness to leave that twang of guilt returned, but she managed to swallow it down.

"Okay, I'm not really up to cooking tonight and I don't think Meg is either," Hercules frowned.

"I'll be right back,"

"I'll join you! We can pick out a delicious meal for our pals together!" Icarus chimed, leaping from his seat and throwing his arms around Cassandra, and Hercules couldn't help but chuckle at the expression that crossed Cassandra's features.

"Uh, Ick? I think Herc would prefer you stay here, keep him company."

"But Cassie, the agora is dangerous, I can protect you!" Icarus proclaimed proudly, puffing out his chest and thumping his scrawny fists.

"I'll survive. Just stay here, Herc doesn't want to be alone." Icarus looked conflicted for a moment, then accepted defeat and agreed to stay behind, much to Cassandra's relief. She gave Hercules another hug, and a hearty pat on the shoulder before promising to return quickly.

"Pegasus can take you, he'll be near the stables."

"Alright. Umm, anything in particular you want?"

"I guess fish would be nice. Meg's always been a fan of seafood." _Well her favorite is any kind of soup or stew, but those take all day and I doubt she wants to eat right now anyway. But she should eat, after what she's just been though…_

"Oh, one second," Hercules walked over to his satchel and pulled out his coin purse, tossing it to Cassandra, "Here… to pay for the food." Cassandra knew refusing the money would end with her having to take it anyway, so she took the pouch without argument. It wouldn't be until after Cassandra had already left that he would remember that he had just purchased fish and grain for supper at his trip to the agora earlier that day.

"I'll be back as fast as I can," She waved goodbye and made her way to the stables. As she walked down the cobbled path, Hercules's wealth never ceased to amaze her. Rather than a dirt path leading to the stables, Hercules had a pathway with cobbled gray stones. Not even the roads outside of town had that.

As promised, Pegasus was in the pastures near the stables. The winged creature visibly agitated by the day's chaos. She put her fingers under her tongue and gave a shrill whistle, catching his attention. He trotted over, flapping his wings and snorted at her a bit.

"Come on, I promised Herc I would make dinner for him and Meg. I just need to go to the agora to get some things." Pegasus snorted again before laying down next to her so she could mount up on his back. With a few quick flaps of his broad wings he was in the air, and on his way to the agora. By the time they arrived many merchants were packing up. She made her way through the streets, keeping an eye out for a familiar face. The fish merchants were long gone, but she would find some excuse to explain her returning empty handed. She hadn't been entirely honest with her intent. She ignored the calls of the peddlers trying to make some last minute sales, and it was not until she was nearly at the docks that she finally found whom she was looking for.

"Amarantha!" Cassandra shouted, moving up to the figure who was packing up some drying flowers. The girl appeared startled, and looked up with large eyes.

"I'm sorry ma'am didn't see you there, I have some lovely-"She cut herself short when she recognized who it was. "Well it took you long enough," She stood up, slinging her bag across her shoulders. "I've been trying to signal you for weeks!"

"You couldn't just write me a letter? Why this cryptic nonsense with the flowers?" Amarantha sighed,

"Let's talk somewhere else okay? A crowd isn't the best place." She reluctantly agreed to the teenage girl's request, and they made their way together down to the water where there were fewer people. The fishers had gone for the night, and the waves were loud enough to ensure their conversation wouldn't carry up to the nearby homes.

"So, again, why this cryptic thing with the flowers?"

"You're the infamous 'Prophet of Doom' might not end too well if I get caught writing you love letters. Besides, you're the one who taught me to be careful. "She answered sarcastically. Cassandra had met the girl shortly after high school, and the girl had always been a bit of a pip. She met her when she herself was investigating a vision she had of a fire overtaking the docs of a fishing suburb, and found the young girl dashing about screaming the word "fire". Confused, she had approached the girl and it didn't take long to figure out she was another seer. Well aware of the curse this girl had, she had taken her under her wing and educated her about how causing a panic was not in her best interests.

"Well, what is it?" Cassandra was put off by recent events, and was not in the mood to play games. She knew that if she was sending out a message, albeit overly subtle, it was because she was having visions that were not of a promising nature.

"I've had a vision. Well… _visions"_

"I figured as much…"

"I imagine you have too." Cassandra nodded, recalling her vague visions. They were less focused than usual, and she could make little sense of them. There was rarely any discernible place, or people. Just flashes, noises. And the flashes were of images she had difficulty bringing words to. It was as if the cosmos was giving her a glance at the very heart of chaos.

"They're not good."

"Are they ever?" Amarantha chuckled sadly at the response. Cassandrda was right, they never were.

"I see snow. But then fire… ice and fire falling from the sky. The ground shaking like it was the surface of the angry sea. People… just flashes of people. Chaos… lots of chaos. I can't tell where any of this is taking place." Cassandra was taken aback, the girl had been given the same chaotic visions but with much more focus and clarity. Perhaps she was an ever better seer than the 'Prophet of Doom' herself.

"That's… distressing," _Really Cass? That's the best you can muster?_ But her thoughts were drifting back to her friends and a pang of guild wound its way around her gut and threatened to return the wine to the earth from whence it came. She had to go back. She came to find out why Amarantha was sending out her cryptic signal to get her attention, and she had done that. "I'm not trying to make light of this… but I have a bit of an emergency. Will you still be here in a few days?"

"Cass… you see the moon?"

"Umm… yes? Why-"

"It's about half-full. In my visions, the moon is a little less than half full. I don't think we have a whole lotta time here…"

"It could be this half-moon, or next… it's a half-moon every few weeks. How are you so sure its this coming one?"

"I'm not. I've been having these visions for a while, and been trying to contact you. But you didn't seem to get my message."

"Selling a damn flower? Amara, I know you're subtle but damn it when it's this important just send me a letter! You're not gonna have a riot ad your door over _one_ letter! And if you've really been having that vision for this long, I don't think you happened to catch me 'just in time' like some really bad story. I'll meet you in a few days okay?"

"What's so important you don't want to deal with this now?" Cassandra sighed, accepting defeat.

"Look. My friend… is sick." She left it at that, hoping the young girl wouldn't pry. "I'll come back in three days. I need time to make sense of what you said anyway. A ground moving like the sea, and raining fire and ice, I'll see if I can figure anything out."

"Cass… I… I'm scared. I've never had visions like these." Cassandra looked startled, she often forgot how young this girl was and she wasn't the jaded angst filled youth that she had been.

"It'll be alright Amara. We'll figure this out." She gave the girl a hug, and returned to where she had left Pegasus and headed for home, not realizing she had forgotten to purchase anything.

* * *

Was the whole Cassandra – Amarantha part clear? Like, did it actually make sense and WORK? I feel like I rushed it but I don't know how much more I could pump into it. Was this chapter good?


	8. Chapter 8

Pardon my update delay guys. As you are all aware by now, Boston was attacked by two absolute cowards. Boston is my home, and this has been a trying time. Thank you for your patience.


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